Carolina in My Mind
by Sweet Emotion
Summary: Sequel to "For Better or Worse." This is James and Jenny's story. It will follow them through high school and beyond. Drama? Love? Fame? Fortune? Yes, yes, yes, and yes.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, just to warn you in advance, this is going to be an extremely long author's note, but please read it in its entirety. Thank you!**

**Hi my fellow OTH fans! I want to thank those of you who have been reading this series since "All I Want For Christmas Is You." You've been on quite a ride, and I've loved having you along. You've watched our favorite TV characters grow up and have little ones of their own. **

**Now it's James and Jenny's turn to tell their story. We're going to follow them through high school and on into early adulthood, but you can be sure their high school experience and their lives after high school will be anything but ordinary.**

**Nathan and Haley, Brooke and Lucas, and Jake and Peyton are going to be in the story as well, along with all of their children, and the parents are going to have to overcome struggles of their own, but this story will focus on James and Jenny the most, because it's essentially their story.**

**I've got an idea for another story that's going to pick up almost immediately from where this one leaves off, but it's going to be about the rest of the kids when they're in high school. It's going to give Brenna, Anna, Ethan and Ashley the chance to tell their story. I'm really excited about that one, and I'm hoping you guys are going to like it, too. I'm not sure what the title's going to be yet, but I'll be sure to tell you when I figure it out.**

**Until then, enjoy the first chapter of "Carolina in My Mind." The title for the story is the title of an old James Taylor song. The song kind of inspired the story, and it's going to have some pretty great significance throughout most of the story, so if you've never heard it, I would love it if you could listen to it just once. It's wonderful.**

**Oh! As most of you know, I've chosen actors who fit what I imagine the characters to look like. Below is the "cast list," so check it out. If you ever forget who's who, just come back here to the first chapter and check.**

**Cast:**

**James Lucas Scott: Robert Adamson. He's currently playing Charles Antoni on a show called Lincoln Heights. I've got such a crush on this guy. He is the ultimate teenage James. Look him up on Google or YouTube please. You'll thank me. Hehe…**

**Jennifer Cassandra Jagelski: Blake Lively. Blake plays Serena on Gossip Girl. I think she's a great actress, and she's absolutely gorgeous. She's my perfect Jenny.**

**Kyan Tyrone Jenkins: Chris Brown. Chris is the only one I can imagine for Kyan, because he kind of inspired the character. He's just perfect for Ky.**

**Michelle Cherie Harris: Jordin Sparks. I know she's an American Idol singer and not really an actress, but she's almost exactly what I imagine Michelle to look like. Plus, she's from my hometown! Woo! It was so exciting when she won. Jordin also has some awesome chemistry with Chris Brown (have you guys seen her "No Air" music video?) which is nice, because Michelle and Kyan are going to meet each other in this story and… Yeah.**

**Brenna Brianne Scott: Ashley Greene. Ashley is going to play Alice Cullen in the upcoming Twilight movie (December is too far away! Gah!) Anyway, look her up. She's stunning. Ashley is how I imagine Brenna to look as a teenager, but I can imagine how she looked when she was younger, and that's how I see Brenna in this story (she's nine when the story begins). **

**Anna Elizabeth Jagelski: Sara Paxton. She's been in lots of tween movies, most of which I've seen, because my younger sister has them and watches them constantly. She's so pretty-- perfect for Anna. Again, she's how I imagine Anna to look as a teenager, but you get the idea.**

**Ethan Austin and Evan Ashley Scott: Taylor Hanson. Now, now. Anybody who's rolling their eyes can stop now. He's a perfect example of how I envision the twins. Oh, but just to be clear, never at any point will the twins have long hair. The way Taylor looked when he was about seventeen (he had short hair by that point) is how I envision the twins as teenagers. Please, if you have a minute, look up the music video for "If Only" on YouTube. The way he looks in that video is what I see in my head when I imagine the twins as teenagers. There's a part in the "If Only" video, at about 2:36, where Taylor's sitting by a campfire with his brothers and a bunch of friends, and a pretty girl glances at him, and he looks at the camera with this really cute crooked smile. That is exactly how I see Ethan; the expression on his face when he grins at the camera is so incredibly Ethan… It's unreal. Oh, just please watch the video. Just once. It won't kill you. If you honestly think it will, then you don't have to watch.**

**Samantha Renee: Danielle Panabaker. Danielle is a lovely young actress who co-starred in Sky High, another of my younger sister's favorite movies… Hehe.**

**Caleb Owen Foster: Jackson Rathbone. Jackson is going to play Jasper Hale in the up-coming Twilight move (Ha… can you tell I'm excited for that movie?)**

**Caleb and Samantha won't be in this story, they're going to be in the next one (the one where Anna, Brenna, and the twins are in high school), but I wanted to add them to this cast list anyway, just so you could be introduced to them. You won't find out Samantha's last name until the next story, but I'll tell you that she's going to be involved mostly with Anna and the twins. Caleb is going to have a storyline with Brenna (What do you think of that, Brit? I paired Jasper and Alice together… Hehe… I love Ashley and Jackson. They're adorable together).**

**Okay, I think I've finally covered everything. Thank you again to all of the readers who have been with me from the beginning, and welcome to all of the newbies. I hope you enjoy "Carolina in My Mind." --Sarah**

**ONE: ABC**

"James." 32-year-old Haley Scott poked her head into her 14-year-old son's bedroom and turned on his overhead light.

James's long, lanky body was sprawled across his bed and he was quietly snoring. When the light came on, he rolled from his stomach onto his back and squinted at his mother through sleepy brown eyes.

"Good morning, Sweet Baby James," Haley smiled affectionately. "Come on, it's six o'clock. You don't want to be late for your first day of high school." She still couldn't believe that her little boy was in high school already. It didn't seem possible that fourteen years had gone by so quickly. To her, it seemed like he had gone from being a little infant asleep in his crib to being the tall, handsome young man she saw now in the blink of an eye.

"Okay, I'm up," he yawned. He reached for the remote that controlled his stereo and in moments, his music was blaring. He was usually able to drag himself out of bed in the morning without much of a problem, but today he had an added incentive to be ready on time. Jen was coming by the house to give him and Kyan a ride to school.

Jenny Jagelski, who now insisted upon being addressed by either Jen or Jennifer and not the childish Jenny, was a young lady of sixteen. She'd had her driver's license for five months-- since April-- and she was often seen cruising around town in the fully restored 1967 Mustang Convertible that her parents had surprised her with on her birthday. It was a very soft, creamy yellow color, which Jen loved. She was such a girl.

James smiled as he slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and put his feet on the floor. You'd always be able to hear Jen coming. She played her music at top volume, and when you'd turn to look, she'd speed by you on the street, with the convertible top down and her long blonde hair flying. She was so hot. And he was actually going to get to ride to school in her car! He couldn't wait to see how all of the other students would react when he pulled into the parking lot in Jen Jagelski's Mustang.

"Thank you," Haley snickered when his feet were on the floor. His dark brown hair was in complete disarray. Oh, he was such a cute kid. She made her way across the hall to nine-year-old Brenna's room with a feeling of dread. James was the easy one. Brenna was an absolute bear in the morning.

"Bren?" she said softly, poking her head through the doorway of her daughter's bedroom. There was no response. Haley turned the overhead light on and repeated, "Bren?"

"What do you _want?_" nine-year-old Brenna whined. Her entire body was hidden beneath her bedspread.

"It's after six, sweetheart. You need to get up," Haley said.

"Mmm," Brenna mumbled. She rolled over onto her side.

"Brenna Brianne," Haley spoke sternly now. "I said it's time to get up."

"I _will_!" Brenna shouted from underneath her blankets.

"Now," Haley said firmly.

"_Okay!_" Brenna yelled. Her disgruntled face gradually emerged from out of her blankets and she forced herself to sit up; her blue eyes flamed with annoyance and her long black hair was a tangled mess.

"Thank you," Haley smiled. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes, so hurry and get dressed."

"Okay," Brenna repeated, grumbling the word with a scowl. As soon as her mother left, Brenna cuddled up to her pillows and pulled her blanket back over her head.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

"Nathan, what're you doing?" Haley had just entered the kitchen to find her husband of fifteen years standing at the stove shrouded in a haze of smoke. She ran to his side and turned the stove's burner off. A skillet full of burnt bread slices sizzled at her. She turned her head and arched an eyebrow at her husband.

"I was trying to make French toast," he explained sheepishly.

Haley laughed at his embarrassed expression and took his face in her hands. She pecked his lips and rubbed the tip of her nose against his. "Thank you for the attempt. That was very sweet."

Nathan grinned and coiled his arms around Haley's waist. He kissed her back, but it was deeper, more passionate.

"Geez, what's burning?" James came into the kitchen and stumbled to a stop. "Ugh," he sneered at the sight of his parents making out. "Thanks guys, now my appetite is totally and completely gone."

"Siddown," Nathan instructed, pointing at the kitchen table with a crooked grin. The teenager obeyed with an identical crooked grin. He dropped his backpack to floor next to the table and flopped into his chair.

James was a perfectly adorable blend of his father and his mother. He was tall and leanly muscular like Nathan, and he had striking, chiseled facial features, as well as a pair of big brown eyes that were framed by long dark lashes. He wore a dark red shirt this morning, along with blue jeans and a new pair of Nikes. His dark brown hair was carefully gelled into short, deliberately disarrayed spikes.

Haley smiled proudly at her handsome boy. He'd doused himself in so much cologne she could smell him from across the room.

"What, Mom?" James asked, flushing red when he noticed her staring at him. He checked himself to see if something was out of place.

"Nothing," Haley smiled again and shook her head. "Where's your sister?"

"I don't know," James took a swig from the glass of orange juice his father handed him. "I didn't see her upstairs. I thought she was down here already."

Haley rolled her eyes and clenched her jaw to hold in a screech of exasperation. She stalked out of the kitchen, headed for the stairs.

Nathan and James exchanged a wide-eyed, _uh-oh_ kind of look.

"_**Brenna Brianne Scott!**_" Haley shouted from the bottom of the stairs. "_**You have three minutes to get your rear end down here!**_"

At that moment, 14-year-old Kyan burst through the kitchen's back door, toting his backpack. He wore a plain white T-shirt, loose dark blue jeans, and a red baseball hat that sat sideways on top of his head.

"Mornin' y'all," he grinned. Then his nose wrinkled. "Dang, what's burnin'?"

"Mornin', Ky," Nathan chuckled. He was scraping his charred French toast into the garbage.

"Hey, Ky," James smiled. He held out his right hand, which was balled into a fist, and Kyan bumped knuckles with him.

Haley re-entered the kitchen, looking angry. "Hi, Ky," she said, flashing a tight-lipped smile.

"Hi, Mrs. Scott," he replied, confused about why she was in such a bad mood. He glanced around the kitchen, realized Brenna was nowhere to be seen, and knew instantly what was wrong. Brenna had slept in.

A scowling Brenna trudged into the kitchen three seconds later. She was dressed, and her hair looked like she'd dragged a brush through it, but her eyes were still clouded with sleep; she obviously hadn't been awake very long. She plopped down across from her brother at the breakfast table and glowered when he smirked crookedly at her.

"I cannot believe you, Brenna," Haley grumbled, placing a bowl of cereal in front of her and another in front of James. "I'm supposed to be at school early, and now I'm going to be late _on the first day_." Haley taught choir at the high school. Nathan worked there, too; he taught gym and coached the boys' varsity basketball team with his brother Lucas.

"I'm _sorry_," Brenna pouted. She propped her head on her hand and stirred her cereal with her spoon.

The honk of a car horn in the street out front had James scrambling to his feet. Kyan choked back a laugh as he watched James stumble over his backpack. James tried really hard to keep his feelings for Jen hidden-- especially now that she had a very big, very buff boyfriend-- he tried really hard to act like he was satisfied with just being her friend, but his face would light up whenever she came around. James could play it cool with anyone else, but with Jennifer, he always wore his heart on his sleeve.

"It's your _girlfriend_, James," Brenna teased with a giggle.

James chuckled under his breath and gave the back of his sister's head a playful, gentle shove as he passed her.

"Hey!" Brenna protested, smiling while trying to glare at him.

James pressed a quick kiss against his sister's rosy cheek. "Love you, Bren," he said as he rushed out of the kitchen. Kyan was right on James's heels, and he offered Brenna a farewell wave and an affectionate smile, both of which Brenna reciprocated.

"Love you, James!" Brenna shouted after her brother. "Have a good day at school!"

"You, too!" James hollered as he jogged out the front door.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

James skidded to a stop on his front porch and Kyan slammed into his back.

"Ow!" Kyan grunted in irritated surprise.

"Sorry," James mumbled absently. He was riveted on Jennifer; she was sitting behind the wheel of her creamy yellow Mustang, and she was smiling at him.

"Come on you guys!" Jen called, beckoning to them with a wave of her arm.

The boys were just about to get in the car when Haley came barreling down the front porch steps, camera in hand.

"Oh, no," James whispered under his breath.

"Wait, boys, wait!" Haley huffed and puffed for a moment when she reached the car, trying to catch her breath. She held up her camera with a smile when her breathing was back to a normal rate and she said, "I want to get some pictures of you on your first day of high school."

"Mom," James protested with a scowl. She was so embarrassing sometimes. "You, Dad, and Uncle Luke all work at the school. We'll probably be seeing each other all day, so can we just skip the pictures please? You're going to make us late."

Jen hopped out of the car, circling around it and positioning herself between James and Kyan on the passenger side. "Now, Jamie," she chided as she draped one of her slender arms around Kyan and the other one around James. "Don't be such a diva."

James's scowl intensified as Haley prepared to snap a picture. He hated when Jen called him Jamie; she'd always say it in a soft coo, like she was talking to a baby. When she called him Jamie, it made the fact that she saw him as nothing more than a little brother painfully obvious to James. He heard Kyan snicker, but he ignored the sound.

"James, would it kill you to smile?" Haley lowered the camera to frown at her son.

James opened his mouth to voice an impertinent response, but the unexpected sensation of Jennifer's soft lips against his cheek stole his breath. His cheeks burned a bright, hot red, and his heart thundered in his chest as a wide, glowing smile stretched across his handsome face.

Haley quickly took the picture.

Jenny pulled back and smiled triumphantly when James raised starry brown eyes to gaze wonderingly into her beautiful face. "I knew I could get you to smile, Jamie," she giggled, attempting to rumple his gel-hardened spikes in a sisterly way.

James felt his face drop.

"Drive safely kids," Haley cautioned as the three teenagers piled into the car.

"We will," Jennifer promised with a reassuring smile. The soft breeze toyed with her long blonde hair and her beautiful blue eyes shined in the early morning sunlight.

James stared at her in love-struck amazement from where he sat in the front passenger seat. She was… really, _really_ pretty. And she smelled _so good_!

From his spot in the back, Kyan nudged the back of James's seat with his knee and loudly cleared his throat to let James know that he needed to snap out of it.

"Bye, Mom!" James immediately shifted his attention to his mother so Jennifer wouldn't catch him ogling her and waved as the car pulled away from the house.

"Have a good day! I love you!" Haley waved back at him as Jennifer's Mustang disappeared down the street. She sighed nostalgically, blinking back tears as she turned back toward the house.

Nathan, who had come out onto the porch, wrapped his wife in his arms when she was close enough. She hid her face against his chest and sniffled pitifully as her tears moistened the fabric of his shirt.

"He's in high school, Nathan," she whimpered.

"I know," Nathan murmured, rubbing his hands soothingly over her shuddering back. "I remember his first day of preschool. He started crying and he put his little arms around me, and he begged me to stay with him. I almost took him to work with me." The memory made Nathan's shoulders shake with a quiet, affectionate laugh.

"Now our Baby James is all grown up!" Haley wailed.

"Nah," Nathan said with a shake of his head, continuing to rub her back. "He won't officially be grown up for another four years. And our Pistol's still kind of little," he comforted his weeping wife. "Brenna's only nine."

"Going on twenty-five," Haley giggled through fading whimpers. She felt Nathan's chest vibrate with a deep chuckle and she pulled back to gaze lovingly into his eyes.

He bowed his head to press his lips to her forehead. "Come on, no more being sad," he murmured softly, keeping his lips against her skin. "He can't stay a kid forever."

"I just didn't think it would all go by so fast." Haley's shoulders slumped as she finally came to terms with the fact that she couldn't freeze time.

"Well, no matter what, he'll always be our son, Hales," Nathan tried to comfort her. "And… I don't know if this is going to help you feel any better, but you have me. You'll have me for the rest of my life."

Haley laughed tremulously and stood on tiptoe to peck his lips. "Oh, my husband," she sighed contentedly, snaking her arms around his strong, broad shoulders. "I'll love you for the rest of mine."

"Um, Mom?" Brenna appeared in the doorway behind her parents.

Haley's eyes bulged out of her head and she hastily untangled her arms from around Nathan. "Oh, we're late!" she exclaimed, dragging her hands through her hair in a frazzled way. "Get your stuff! Hurry up, let's go!"

There was a frenzy of last-minute hugs and kisses goodbye, then Haley and Brenna hopped in one car and headed off to the elementary school, and Nathan climbed into the family's second vehicle and drove to the high school.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

"Who wants some music?" Jenny asked. When Kyan and James both stuck their hands in the air, she reached for the dial on her radio and searched through the various stations.

"Yo!" Kyan exclaimed, shattering the short silence.

"What?" James and Jenny asked in startled unison.

"Turn it back, turn it back, turn it back!" Kyan pleaded in a shout.

Jenny turned the dial back, trying to find the station he wanted.

"This one, this one! Stop, stop!" Kyan was practically bouncing in his seat.

Jenny moved her hand away from the dial and returned it to the steering wheel. She smiled when she recognized the song that was spilling out of the speakers. Kyan caught her eye in the rearview mirror and flashed his own smile.

_You went to school to learn, girl_

_Things you never, never knew before…_

_Like I before E except after C…_

_And why two plus two makes four…_

"This is my jam right here," Kyan began bobbing his head with the beat.

_Now, now, now I'm gonna teach you…_

_Teach you, teach you…_

_All about love, dear…_

"You and your Motown," James laughed.

"You can just shut up, 'cause you like it, too," Kyan shot back, kneeing the back of his friend's seat again.

"Yeah I do," James admitted with a chuckle.

_Sit yourself down, take a seat_

_All you gotta do is repeat after me…_

"This is a classic. It's also a really good first-day-of-school song," Jennifer grinned as she turned the volume up.

_ABC_

_Easy as _

_123_

_Or simple as _

_do re mi…_

"Come on you guys!" Jennifer shouted to be heard over the loud music, laughing as she rolled to a stop at a red light. "Let's do the shoulder bounce!" She and Kyan enthusiastically bounced their shoulders to the song's beat, but it took a nudge and an encouraging smile from Jen before James joined in. They all began to sing along with the music at the top of their lungs, continuing to move their shoulders.

_ABC, 123, baby, you and me, girl!_

_ABC_

_Easy as _

_123_

_Or simple as _

_do re mi_

_ABC, 123, baby, you and me…_

"Oh, dang!" Kyan suddenly started cackling hysterically in the backseat.

"Kyyyy," James chastised with a crooked grin, drawing the shortened version of his friend's name out in a long, playfully exasperated groan. "You're killing our groove, dude."

"Yeah," Jen spoke up. She and James exchanged a smile and snickered when Kyan began wheezing, laughing too hard to make any sound aside from a gasping noise. "What's the matter with you, Ky?" she giggled.

"Look… out… your window!" Kyan hiccupped, clutching his sides.

James and Jenny turned their eyes to glance out the driver-side window at the same time. When they saw the car that was stopped next to them, they both laughed until their cheeks hurt.

Nathan was sitting behind the wheel of his forest green SUV, watching the kids in the yellow Mustang next to him with arched eyebrows and amused blue eyes. Oh to be young again, he thought wistfully. He chuckled and lifted one hand from his steering wheel, palm out in a gesture of greeting, when a laughing James waved at him. Then the light turned green, and both vehicles resumed their journey to the high school.

**Okay, so that's the first chapter. What did you guys think? If it seemed short, that's because I just wanted this to be sort of an introduction. The next chapter will be longer, and Jeyton, Brucas, and their kids will be in it. Just to warn you, the next few paragraphs will contain some spoilers, so if you don't want to know what's going to happen in the next chapter and the chapters after that, proceed with caution.**

**Basketball season will be in full swing by about chapter three, and Ky and James are both going to be on the varsity team, even though they're freshmen (they're just that good-- I mean, come on, James is a Scott! Haha…). Jennifer is going to be on the cheer squad, and there are going to be team parties, and the annual Boy Toy Auction, but that's not going to last long… Things are going to happen that will pull Jennifer's focus toward home and family. And James is going to find a passion for something other than basketball…**

**But never fear. The Scott Basketball Legacy will live on… in a Little Raven.**

**As for Brucas, the twins are also talented ball players, but one of them won't have the heart for it.**

**So, that's all for now. Please let me know what you think. If you have suggestions, please feel free to share them with me. Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it. -Sarah**


	2. Chapter 2

**TWO: Good Luck/Freshmen Phenoms**

**Just a quick note, I'm going to give this chapter a PG-13 rating for brief drug references. It's not as bad as it sounds, promise. -Sarah**

"Dude, they got some good eats at this place," Kyan said, ogling his full lunch tray as he and James wandered out of the busy cafeteria and into the bustling outdoor commons area. Most of the student body preferred to sit and eat their lunch outside when the weather was nice. "We didn't have food like this in middle school. So," Kyan finally raised his head and scanned the crowded tables that sat in the warm September sun, "where you wanna sit?"

"I dunno," James shrugged. "I guess we could just sit anywhere…"

"James! Ky!"

James whipped his head around when he heard Jennifer calling his name, instantly responding to the sound of her voice. Kyan's reaction was much more natural; he glanced casually over his shoulder.

"Come sit over here," Jen insisted, waving them over to her table. The other people at the table were either juniors or seniors-- all cheerleaders that were on the squad with Jen, and their boyfriends, who were all on the varsity basketball team.

James and Kyan both took a step forward, toward the table, but that's as far as they got.

"Um, no," one of the cheerleaders-- a girl with big, dark, curly hair and a nasally voice-- spoke up; she sneered at the two fourteen-year-olds with an expression of disgust. "This table is reserved for members of the varsity basketball team and the cheer squad," she coolly informed the two boys. "No _freshmen_ allowed." Her lips curled over the word 'freshmen.'

James felt his cheeks flame red with anger and humiliation. His eyes darted to Jennifer's face.

"Amber," Jennifer quietly scolded her friend, the corners of her mouth dropping in a frown, "they're friends of mine-- practically my brothers. They're just looking for a place to sit."

"They don't need your charity," Amber rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they have plenty of their own little friends." She briefly returned her attention to the two freshmen and fluttered her hand, waving them away. "Shoo," she said.

"Did you hear what she said?" a harsh, derisive male voice asked. James and Kyan turned their heads at the same time to see who had spoken to them. Mark Benson, a tall, muscular senior with light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a surly personality, was smirking at them. He also happened to be Jennifer's boyfriend. "Get lost. Freshmen," he sneered, shouldering his way past the two boys.

"Mark," Jen frowned angrily at her boyfriend as he squeezed in next to her at their crowded lunch table.

"What?" Mark laughed. He pressed a forceful kiss against her unwilling lips and proceeded to stuff his face.

Jennifer turned apologetic blue eyes to James's flushed face. She mouthed the words _I'm sorry._

"Come on, man," Kyan murmured, nudging James with his elbow. They turned and made their way to an empty table that was only a few feet away. James plunked down on the bench-like seat with his back to Jennifer's table. Kyan sat down across from him.

"I didn't even want to sit with them anyway," Kyan proclaimed, popping a piece of popcorn chicken into his mouth.

James was silent, deep in thought as he absently picked at his taco salad with his white plastic fork.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

"So," Amber spoke up, taking a dainty bite of her pizza, "did you guys have a fun summer?"

"Mark did," one of the other guys at the table snickered. The other males joined in, like they were all enjoying a private joke.

Jennifer began to get a sick feeling in her stomach. She slowly turned her head and looked up at Mark. He wouldn't look at her, choosing instead to keep his eyes on his tray; but the corners of his mouth were turned up, like he was trying to keep from laughing, too. The sick feeling in Jennifer's stomach got worse.

"What does he mean, Mark?" she asked quietly, unsmilingly.

It took a second, but Mark finally managed to drag his eyes over to meet hers. "It was nothing, Jen," he shrugged.

"What was nothing?" Jennifer kept her voice even, but angry tears were starting to blur her vision.

"I met this… girl while you and your family were away on vacation in July," Mark shrugged again. "We kind of had a thing."

OTHOTHOTHOTH

"James, would you stop pouting?" Kyan frowned.

"I'm not," James grumbled, pushing his untouched lunch away with an irritated sigh.

"No? This is what you look like right now." Kyan scrunched his face up in a comical scowl.

James chuckled under his breath. Then he dragged his hands through his hair and groaned. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I just… How are they still together? I don't understand what she could possibly see in that guy. He's a total moron." His brown eyes flashed angrily.

"Whoa," Kyan said, paying no attention to James as he watched Jennifer lash Mark's cheek with the palm of her hand. "I don't think they're gonna be together for too much longer."

James's eyebrows furrowed with confusion and he glanced over his shoulder to see what was going on at Jennifer's table. He turned just in time to see her slap Mark across the face again.

"_**YOU ASSHOLE!**_" she screamed, standing up and glaring hatefully down into Mark's bewildered eyes. He seemed embarrassed that she was causing such a scene; he said something to her lowly and took hold of her wrist, trying to pull her back into a sitting position. "_**LET GO OF ME!**_" Jennifer shrieked, struggling to free herself.

When he saw that Jennifer was being held against her will, James shot to his feet, eyes riveted on her. His only thoughts were about getting to her, rescuing her through any means necessary.

"James," Kyan cautioned. He was still seated, but he was watching his friend-- who never once shifted his focus away from Jennifer-- with guarded eyes; he noticed that the fingers on James's right hand were clenching and un-clenching over and over again. James was a pretty level-headed guy, except when it came to Jennifer; he couldn't be rational about anything that concerned her, because she was too important to him. When James took a step toward Jennifer's table, his expression fierce, Kyan was immediately up and at his side. He put a restraining hand on his friend's shoulder to hold him in place and spoke to him quietly, trying to get him to calm down. The last thing James needed was to get into a fight on the first day of school.

Jennifer managed to pull her wrist out of Mark's hand, but he grabbed for her again. She reached for her open bottle of Snapple and dumped it over his head. As he sputtered and everybody else at the table laughed, Jennifer snatched her backpack up off the ground and stormed away.

James slung his backpack over one shoulder and sprinted swiftly after her.

"And there he goes again," Kyan mumbled to himself, plopping down in front of his lunch tray with a big sigh. "Saint James is off to save the day." He expelled another gusty sigh as he took a bite of a long curly fry. His troubled expression vanished and was replaced with a bright smile when a pretty girl with gorgeous eyes walked slowly past his table, obviously trying to get his attention. When their eyes met the girl smiled and wiggled her fingers in a flirtatious wave, a gesture which Kyan playfully returned.

"Mm," Kyan made a quiet noise of appreciation in the back of his throat as he craned his neck to watch her walk away. When she was gone, he turned back to his lunch with a chuckle. "I think I'm gonna like high school," he grinned, munching on another fry.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

James found Jennifer sitting in the home-side bleachers in the empty gym. She was crying. He thought she could probably hear him coming, because his footsteps on the basketball court's hardwood floor echoed in the silence, but she never looked his way; she kept her face averted. He climbed the bleachers and sat down beside her. Without saying a word, he reached out and laid a gentle hand on her shivering back. She angled her body toward him and looked miserably up into his kind, concerned brown eyes. She whimpered-- a soft, strangled noise in the back of her throat-- and slipped her slender arms around his shoulders, pulling him as close as she possibly could. James swallowed hard, feeling his forehead pucker when the sounds of her quiet sobs shuddered against his ear. He tightened his arms around her and just waited for her to talk.

"He cheated on me," Jennifer finally whispered, the words choked and trembling. "In July, while I was gone on vacation."

"What?" James pulled back to look her in the face. He couldn't believe it. How could somebody cheat on Jennifer? She was beautiful and smart and kind and funny… She was as close to perfect as any person could ever be. Her pretty blue eyes flashed with pain, and an astounded James realized that she was telling the truth. Mark had cheated on her. His eyebrows knitted together in an expression of rage; his eyes darkened until they looked almost black.

"James, don't go getting any crazy ideas," Jennifer sniffled, seeing the murderous look on his face.

"He can't hurt you like that and get away with it," James scowled.

A small smile pulled at one corner of Jennifer's mouth and she laughed once, quietly. "He's not worth it, James," she sighed, sniffling one last time; she wasn't crying anymore. "Just forget him."

"I will if you will," James grinned, looking encouragingly into her eyes. _Come on_, he seemed to say with those big, brown, expressive eyes of his, _you can do it_.

Jennifer laughed again, in earnest this time, and linked her arm through his. "I will," she promised, putting her head on his shoulder. James smiled and rested his head on top of hers.

"You're my hero, Jamie," Jennifer giggled after a brief, companionable silence.

The smile James wore vanished and he barely managed to keep from flinching. Hearing her call him by that childish nickname was like being punched in the gut._ Jamie. _He plastered on a fake smile when she raised her head to look into his face.

"Really, thank you," she said sincerely. "Thank you for always being around when I need you. You're my best friend," she grinned, patting his knee. Then she looked sad again for a second, almost wistful. "'Ya know, if more guys were like you, James Lucas Scott, the world would be a much better place."

James blinked, at a loss as to how to respond. When he opened his mouth to try, the bell rang.

Jennifer groaned and rolled her eyes. "Great," she grumbled, scrubbing her hands over her tearstained face. When she was done doing that, she looked up at James again. "Do I look okay?" she asked nervously. "I mean, I don't look like I've been crying, do I? I don't want to give that cheating pile of scum the satisfaction of knowing that he hurt me."

A very soft, very affectionate smile brightened James's face and almost seemed to make him glow. Carefully, so carefully, he reached out and rubbed his thumb underneath her right eye to wipe some smudged mascara away. "No," he said quietly. "You look perfect." Jennifer's answering smile was so beautiful, it stole James's breath.

"Come on," Jennifer sighed, tugging on his hand as she stood up. "We'd better go."

James dragged himself to his feet and walked out into the sunshine with Jennifer.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

At the elementary school, it was recess time.

"I want to play," Brenna scowled menacingly at Seth Carter, a boy in her third grade class. They were standing nose-to-nose on the playground's cement basketball court.

"You can't," Seth smirked, taking one step closer to her to show her that he was not intimidated. "You're a girl."

"So what if I'm a girl?" Brenna frowned; her deep blue eyes spit flames as she glared up at her classmate. "I'm a better basketball player than you are."

Seth's smug expression twisted into one of anger. "Take that back!" he yelled.

"Why should I?" Brenna smiled tauntingly, pleased at the reaction she was getting. "It's the truth."

Seth's face turned red with rage and he opened his mouth to say something else, but Brenna's eight-year-old cousin Ethan intervened before he could make a sound.

"You seriously need to calm down, dude." Ethan came up to stand next to Brenna, his posture protective. "Leave my cousin alone."

"What if I don't?" Seth sneered, getting dangerously close to Ethan's face.

Ethan's cool hazel eyes sparked with a brief flash of fury, but his expression remained impassive. Without saying a word, he reached out with both hands and shoved Seth with all of his strength.

Seth stumbled backwards, but when he regained his footing, he charged at Ethan like a bull.

"Whoa, whoa!" Ethan's twin brother Ashley stepped in Seth's path. Since Seth didn't have a problem with Ashley, he was forced to skid to a stop. "Just calm down you guys, okay?" Ashley, whose calm, level-headed personality had earned him a reputation for being a peacemaker, spoke in an easy-going tone of voice. "Ethan," he said his brother's name firmly but kindly when he noticed that Ethan was still glaring at Seth, "just let it go."

Brenna hooked her arm through Ethan's and led him away from Seth and Ashley.

Ashley continued to talk with Seth in a low, quiet voice and the anger gradually began to disappear from Seth's features.

Ethan pulled his arm out of Brenna's once they were standing on the sidelines.

"Are you okay?" Brenna asked, glancing at Ethan sideways.

Ethan, who was still scowling, nodded silently as he scuffed the toe of his sneaker against the concrete surface of the court.

"Thank you for sticking up for me, Cousin," Brenna smiled, giving Ethan's back a grateful pat.

"You're welcome, Cousin." Ethan smiled as well, keeping his eyes on his feet.

"I bet I could've taken him by myself," Brenna sounded pretty confident. "Don't you think so?"

Ethan laughed when Brenna turned expectant blue eyes to his face. "Totally," he nodded.

"Seth's such a jerk," Brenna frowned, shooting a furious glare in Seth's direction. "He won't let me play just because I'm a girl. I should've punched him when I had the chance."

Ethan chuckled and pulled his cousin into a one-armed hug. "I'll make sure you get a spot on my team tomorrow, okay?"

"Fine," Brenna huffed, rolling her pretty eyes. Then she laughed and wandered off of the basketball court, waving at both of her cousins over her shoulder as she went. She spotted nine-year-old Anna sitting on a nearby bench that was shaded by a big tree, and she made her way over.

"Hey," Brenna sighed, plunking down next to her friend on the bench.

"Hi," Anna replied. Her attention was focused on the basketball game that was just getting underway. Her lips curled into a faint smile when Ashley got the ball.

Brenna glanced from Anna to Ashley and back again before rolling her eyes. Anna was absolutely smitten with Ashley, which Brenna sometimes found extremely annoying. "Do you want to play on the slide with me?" she asked.

"No," Anna frowned, never looking away from Ashley. "I'll get my new clothes all dirty."

Brenna's face dropped and her shoulders sagged. Anna was her best friend, and Brenna loved her like a sister, but it was difficult, if not impossible, for Brenna-- who was a complete tomboy-- to understand Anna's girly-girl way of thinking.

The two girls sat in silence and watched the basketball game progress.

After about ten minutes, Ashley and another boy collided with each other and both boys went down hard.

Anna gasped and immediately got to her feet. "Ashley!" she called out. "Are you okay?"

Ethan walked over and pulled his twin to his feet. "He's fine!" he shouted impatiently back at Anna, his face twisting with an irritated scowl. She really got on his nerves.

Anna's worried expression eased into a relieved smile and she returned to her seat next to Brenna on the bench.

The other boy who was involved in the collision was not fine. His knees were scraped and bleeding, so a teacher helped him limp to the nurse's office.

"Now we're short a guy," Seth frowned. "How are we supposed to finish the game?"

Ethan glanced over his shoulder at Brenna. When he turned his eyes back to Seth, he was grinning. "My cousin could play," he suggested.

"No way," Seth almost looked like he was pouting now. "No girls."

"I guess that's the game, then," Ethan shrugged, dropping the ball and preparing to walk away.

"Wait!" Seth called after Ethan's retreating figure. His eyes darted in Brenna's direction and he blew out a long breath. "Is she any good?"

Ethan chuckled and shook his head like Seth's question was the stupidest thing he'd ever been asked in his life. He circled around and came back to the place where he'd previously been standing. After he stooped and picked up the basketball, he craned his neck and hollered, "Brenna!"

Brenna gleefully sprinted onto the basketball court, her long dark hair fluttering out behind her. She caught the ball on the bounce when Ethan passed it to her and instantly launched it into the air. Her form was perfect, from the set of her feet to the flow of her follow-through, and the ball fell through the net with a soft _swish_. Young Brenna was a natural-born athlete; and she had that streak of greatness in her, that flawless ability to make the ball go in the hoop without even seeming to have to try. The Scott family was going to have another basketball legend on their hands, but this one was a girl.

Ethan and Ashley were proudly grinning from ear-to-ear as the rest of the boys stood frozen, their mouths agape with amazement.

"Wow," Seth marveled, speaking in an awed whisper.

"Yep," Ethan and Ashley said in unison, still grinning.

"Cameron," Seth mumbled, unable to tear his eyes away from Brenna's smiling face. "You're on Ethan's team now."

"What?" Seth's teammate was obviously miffed. "Why?"

"'Cause I want her," he said, jutting his chin in Brenna's direction. There was no way he could lose with Brenna on his team.

"No," Brenna refused, grinning and shrugging her shoulders in an I'm-sorry-but-not-really sort of way. "The teams are already set. I'm playing on my cousins' team."

A soft smile of impressed amusement tugged at one corner of Seth's mouth. "I get her tomorrow!" he declared.

The game started up again and Anna continued to watch with rapt interest from her spot underneath the shade tree. Once, the ball bounced wildly out of bounds and banged against Anna's legs. She shrieked like she'd been struck by a meteor.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Ashley, go get the ball," he pleaded with his twin. "I just don't even want to deal with her."

Ashley's eyes narrowed. He seemed to be telling his twin, _Don't be rude._ Then he turned his attention to Anna and his expression softened, became kind and patient. He sprinted over to her bench and picked the ball up off the ground, bracing it against his hip. "Are you okay?" he asked, using his free hand to scoop loose strands of golden-blonde hair out of his bright blue eyes. "You didn't get hurt, did you?"

A sparkling smile lit up Anna's pretty face. "No," she sighed, shaking her head as she gazed up at him with starry green eyes.

"Good," Ashley grinned, "I'm glad. Well, I should get back; they're waiting for me."

A gaping Anna just nodded mutely. As he turned to walk away, however, she felt a strange tickling sensation on her arm. When she lowered her eyes to see what was causing it, she found a bug crawling across her skin.

"_**ASHLEY! ASHLEY!**_" she screamed, frantically shaking her arm to get the bug off. Ashley threw the ball into Ethan's waiting hands and ran back to Anna.

"What is it?" he panted. "What's wrong?"

"There's a bug, there's a bug!" she wailed, still shaking her arm. "Kill it, Ashley! Kill it!"

Ashley sat down next to Anna and gently took hold of her arm. "Aw, it's just a little ladybug," he chuckled. "They're not anything to be scared of." He gently nudged the bug onto his fingertip and held it out for Anna to see. She flinched away from it.

"Ew, ew," she sputtered. "Get it away from me!"

"It's not going to hurt you," Ashley laughed. "Ladybugs mean good luck. Did you know that?"

Anna slowly shook her head, still seeming slightly disgusted.

"They do," Ashley promised, nodding his head. "Here," he took her hand and allowed the ladybug to crawl onto the back of her index finger. "For good luck," he grinned with a wink.

Anna smiled as she watched Ashley sprint back onto the basketball court. She let the ladybug crawl along the back of her hand until recess was over.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

Two months flew rapidly by, and James and Kyan gradually got used to the hustle and bustle of high school. In fact, they were flourishing. They had a good group of friends, their grades were outstanding… They were really coming into their own. James had even learned to deal with seeing his parents and his uncle in the halls every day. But something was coming that would open up an entirely new world of possibilities for them.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

"'Sup, Jen?" Kyan called out with a friendly smile. He was standing next to James's locker, waiting for his friend to find his History book.

James's head snapped up and a bright smile stretched from cheek-to-cheek when he saw Jennifer walking his way. His smile became a frown of concern when he saw the worried, angry expression on her pretty face.

"Dang, girl," Kyan spoke before James could. "What happened? You look like your puppy just died or somethin'."

"Something died, that's for sure," Jennifer mumbled, propping herself up against the locker next to James's with a sigh. "Our chance to have a championship basketball team this season, that's what died."

"What're you talking about?" James gripped the top of his open locker door with his right hand, gazing intently at Jennifer with confused and curious brown eyes.

"Almost half the varsity team has been suspended from playing," Jennifer combed her fingers through her long blonde hair and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Mark was one of them, which, now that I think about it isn't really surprising."

"For how long?" James asked.

"The whole season," Jennifer replied, rubbing her hand over her forehead in a tired kind of way.

James and Kyan exchanged wide-eyed glances and they both demanded, "Why?"

"Apparently they've been using," Jennifer spit out a humorless laugh and shook her head.

"Using what?" James wasn't quite sure what she meant.

"Drugs, man," Kyan rolled his eyes.

"You're kidding." James couldn't believe it. He couldn't understand how anybody could do something so dangerous, something that could be potentially deadly; but for an athlete to put harmful substances into his body made even less sense to James. How could an athlete, whose physical and mental health was imperative, take such a risk? Not just to his life and his future, but those of his teammates? James couldn't figure out how someone who was part of a team, where everybody depended on one another, could let his teammates down like that.

"She don't look like she's kidding to me, man," Kyan said glumly.

The bell rang and the three friends each went to their separate classes.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

James waited anxiously for lunch, and when the bell for lunch finally rang, he ran for the coaching office, which was located in the back of the boys' locker room.

Lucas, who was sitting behind his desk, and Nathan, who was sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the desk, twitched when James burst through the door.

Nathan cursed under his breath when he saw the wild, angry look in his son's eyes. "James--," he said.

"Is it true?" James demanded.

Nathan nodded once, saying nothing.

"Well, what're you going to do about it?"

"Uncle Luke and I, we're handling this, all right? This is not for you to worry about."

"Come on, are you kidding me?" James shouted. "Don't talk to me like I'm a kid, Dad!"

A soft smile crinkled the corners of Nathan's blue eyes. "You're fourteen," he said quietly. "You are a kid."

James's face darkened with a scowl and he opened his mouth to voice a retort.

"All I can tell you is that there are going to be try-outs on Friday to find people to fill the open spots. Everything else is really none of your business, Son," Nathan shrugged in a businesslike way.

"Nobody we find this late in the pre-season will be able to hold a candle to the guys we lost," Lucas grumbled, speaking for the first time.

"Let me… just let me refresh your memory here, Lucas," Nathan frowned. "The guys we lost are all addicted to illegal drugs!"

A loud sound of anger exploded from Lucas's throat and he pushed everything that was strewn across his desktop to the floor with one swipe of his arm. Then, as his rage left him, he leaned back in his chair and covered his face with his hands.

James was rooted in the doorway. His brown eyes, which were wide and slightly frightened, darted from his father to his uncle and back again.

"Come on, man," Nathan said in a comforting tone. "You can't blame yourself for this."

"I should've talked to them more about stuff like this," Lucas murmured, lowering his hands and staring straight ahead with a faraway look in his eyes. "I should have been able to see the signs."

"Lucas, we did talk to them," Nathan reminded his brother. "We talked to them constantly about how dangerous this stuff can be, not just to their bodies, but to their futures in sports. They made their own choices and now they're suffering the consequences."

"So are we and the rest of them team!" Lucas shouted. His focus shifted to his young nephew, who was still standing in the doorway, and his tired blue eyes lightened with an affectionate smile. "You know better, don't you, James?" he murmured. "You won't get mixed up in anything like this."

"No," James promised solemnly, shaking his head from side to side. "Dad would kill me."

Nathan and Lucas both chuckled. "Yeah," Nathan agreed. "Then I'd bring you back to life so your mom could have a turn." Then Nathan became serious; he gazed at his son thoughtfully. "But have I talked to you enough?" he wondered aloud. "Do you understand how dangerous drugs are? Do you know how much your mom and I love you, and how devastated we'd be if anything happened--?"

"I know," James spoke up before Nathan could finish. "You've talked to me enough," he reassured his father. "And I've listened."

"Oh," Nathan smiled. "Well… good. Okay."

"Hey, so, I'm going to go," James jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Lunch is almost over and I'm hungry."

"Sure," Nathan nodded. "Go eat."

"Okay," James grinned. "See you guys later."

"Hey, James!" Nathan called when his son walked away. When the boy reappeared in the doorway, Nathan got up and pulled the kid into a playful, affectionate headlock.

"Dad!" James protested, struggling to get himself free. "What, did you call me back just to break my neck?"

Nathan released his son with a chuckle and pulled him into a masculine bear-hug. "I love you, kid," he said, affectionately slugging James in the shoulder.

James grinned and slugged his father back. "Love you, Dad."

When James was gone, Nathan returned to his seat in front of Lucas's desk. He laughed when he noticed that his brother was grinning at him.

"What's the matter with you, Luke?" he snickered.

"He's going to show up at the try-outs," Lucas threaded his fingers and put his hands behind his head. "I've seen him playing in your driveway, and I think it's time to take your old jersey out of retirement little brother, because a new Scott's going to be running with the Ravens pretty soon."

A proud, crooked grin tugged at Nathan's lips. His son definitely had game. Out loud he said, "Well, don't pump his ego up too much. He still has to try out, just like everybody else."

OTHOTHOTHOTH

"Don't play with my emotions like this, James."

James chuckled and took a bite of his burrito. He and Kyan were sitting together at their usual table and James had just told his friend about the up-coming try-outs.

"I'm serious," he promised. "My dad told me they're being held on Friday."

"You know what this means, right?" Kyan grinned. "We gots to go!"

James laughed, which caused him to nearly choke on his burrito; he nodded his agreement as he coughed and laughed at the same time.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

Friday's try-outs were grueling. James and Kyan, who were the only freshmen to turn out, had to endure the added sting of being taunted by their older peers.

Nathan and Lucas were very impressed with what they saw, and they were both in complete agreement about two people that would definitely get places in the team's lineup.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

On Friday evening, just as the sky was turning pink and orange with the coming dusk, Nathan knocked on his son's bedroom door. When James shouted that he could come in, he twisted the knob and stepped over the threshold.

"Hi, Dad," James grinned. He was seated at his desk, working on some math homework.

"Hey," Nathan mirrored his son's grin as he took a seat on the end of the bed; he was hiding something behind his back. "How you feelin'? You sore?"

"Oh yeah," James nodded, chuckling. "But it's a good pain."

Nathan chuckled as well. Then he said, "You really worked hard at try-outs today. I was proud of you, and Uncle Luke was too."

"Thanks, Dad," James smiled, keeping his eyes on his work.

"So, listen, I've got something for you," Nathan said. James looked up just as his father pulled a jersey out from behind his back. The front was emblazoned with the blue and black Ravens logo, and on the back was the number 23, above which was the name _Scott_.

"Your jersey?" A cautious grin pulled at one corner of James's mouth. "I thought they retired it."

"Your uncle and I brought it out of retirement this afternoon. Nothing will be official until the lists come out on Monday, but…" He tossed his jersey to his flabbergasted son and said, "Welcome to the team, James."

"Are you being serious right now, or is this a joke?"

"Totally serious," Nathan promised, chuckling again.

"No way!" James clamored to his feet, hooting with laughter, and threw his arms around his father.

Nathan crossed his strong arms over his son's back and gave the kid a loving pat. "Now, listen, you don't have to wear my number if you don't want to. If you want to pick your own number, that's cool…."

"No, I want this number," James said, stripping himself of his T-shirt and shrugging into his jersey. He stood in front of his father and smilingly asked, "How do I look?"

Nathan's expression became very proud, and when he spoke, his voice was quiet and deep. "Like a Raven."

"I'm going to go show Mom!" James bolted out the door and stampeded down the stairs hollering, "Mom! Mom, come here! I've got to show you something!"

Nathan was still sitting on the end of James's bed when Haley came upstairs to find him fifteen minutes later. He sighed heavily when she sat down beside him and put her arms around his shoulders.

"Did you see him?" he asked quietly. He felt Haley nod, because she'd nestled her cheek against the top of his shoulder.

"He looks so much like you," she murmured. Nathan could hear the smile she wore in her voice.

"I know," Nathan smiled as well. "Seeing him in that jersey was like seeing me fourteen years ago. He's going to be a better player than me, though. He's destined for greatness, Hales."

Haley didn't say anything; she just nodded again and combed her fingers through the fine black hair that was cropped along the nape of his neck.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

"I got it!" James bellowed when the doorbell rang.

"Bam!" Kyan shouted when James pulled the front door open. He was donning a Ravens jersey. "Check it out," he turned so James could see the back of his jersey, which was stitched with a big number one. "Numero uno! That's me!" Kyan turned to face James again and chuckled.

"Where'd you get your jersey?" James laughed.

"Your uncle dropped it off for me. I guess now we're gonna have to call him 'Coach'!" Kyan hooted with excited laughter. "And do you know what people are gonna have to call us?"

"What, Ky?" James grinned.

"The Freshmen Phenoms!" Kyan boomed, laughing goofily again. "Ain't nobody ever seen the likes of us before, J."

**Ta-daa! Finally, I finished chapter two. Sorry it took so long. I scraped the whole thing and started over, and I like this second version better.**

**First, I must thank you all for the reviews. They were so fun, and they really motivated me when I got a slight case of writer's block. You're wonderful! Thank you for your enthusiasm! Don't forget to let me know what you thought of this chapter. Please? Feedback is so helpful.**

**In the next chapter, James and Ky will play in their first game; they'll also deal with some hazing.**

**Jennifer and her family will get some bad news.**

**Brooke and Lucas will have a medical scare with one of the twins.**

**So, that's all for now. You guys feel free to PM me or e-mail me anytime with questions, suggestions, or anything. I love hearing from you. PS—I hope everybody had a safe and happy Fourth of July. -Sarah**


	3. Chapter 3

**THREE: First Practice**

James and Kyan walked into the gym for their first practice with the varsity team with wide eyes and excited smiles; they were like two kids who had just been granted entrance to the biggest, most spectacular toy shop in the world.

The other players-- who were all juniors or seniors-- were stretching and taking warm-up shots on the court. They eyed their new teammates with cold disdain.

"'Sup fellas?" Kyan strolled up to the cluster of guys that was closest to him and held out his hand. The other guys glared at Kyan for a long moment before they turned and walked away. "All right, then. It was good talkin' to you," Kyan said, as if the people he'd spoken to had actually responded to him; his tone was cheerfully sarcastic. James came up to stand next to him and their shoulders brushed.

"Have we somehow acquired an ability to make ourselves invisible?" James grumbled under his breath. He scanned the court where the other players were joking and laughing without even acknowledging the presence of their freshmen teammates.

Kyan snorted with laughter. He fisted his hand and held it out to James. The two boys bumped knuckles, a silent way of saying that they had each other and that they would stick together.

Walking side-by-side, matching each other step for step, they stepped onto the court to join the other Ravens.

Just moments later, the cheerleaders filed out of the girls' locker room and lined up at the back of the gym to start their practice. Jennifer raised her arm and waved, flashing a friendly smile when she spotted James and Kyan.

Kyan returned her smile and quickly waved back before he picked up a ball and began taking practice shots.

James also smiled and waved at Jennifer, but he couldn't make himself look away. He watched, positively spellbound, as she stretched her long legs. Her long, smooth, graceful legs….

A basketball struck him on the side of his head, painfully forcing him back into the real world. He turned incensed brown eyes to the amused face of the guy who had thrown the ball-- a senior he thought was named Taran Whitney.

"Pay attention freshman," Taran sneered. He took a leisurely stroll over to where James was standing and glanced from James to Jennifer and back again. "Do you like that girl over there? Huh?" he asked in a hushed, teasing tone, draping one arm over James's shoulders. "You're dreaming. You've got zero chance of getting with her."

James shrugged Taran's arm away and shot him a dark, menacing glare.

"Oh, are you mad?" Taran chuckled. A cold, flat expression fell across his face and he said, "You're a joke and everybody knows it."

Silently, James stooped to pick up the basketball Taran had lobbed at him. He turned to face the hoop and let the ball fly; it fell through the net like a knife through warm butter. He glanced back at his teammate and arched an eyebrow, seeming to dare Taran to say something else. Then he walked away.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Taran demanded, prowling after James like a lion on the hunt. "You sink one undefended shot and you think you're something special? You're not!" Taran used both hands to shove James from behind.

James spun around in one quick movement and glared up into Taran's angry face.

There was a height difference of about six inches between the two boys. Seventeen-year-old Taran's six-foot-one-inch frame seemed to tower over fourteen-year-old James, who wasn't done growing yet and stood at just five-feet-seven-inches tall.

Kyan came running when he saw that a fight was brewing. "Hey," he panted, flashing a wide, cheesy, overly-cheerful smile. "I'm sensing a little hostility between y'all, so--."

"If I'm nothing special, why are you so afraid of me?" James growled. He never shifted his focus away from Taran; he didn't even seem to be aware of Kyan.

"James," Kyan muttered under his breath, "now is not the time to start runnin' yo' big, fat _mouth_."

"What?" Taran scoffed. "I'm _not_ afraid of you, you little wimp. I could break you into little pieces without even breaking a sweat."

"Yeah?" James took a step closer to Taran and held the older boy's furious gaze without even blinking.

"Yo, yo, just relax fellas, come on." Kyan tried unsuccessfully to step between Taran and James.

"_Yes_," Taran sneered, bowing his head so that he was looking directly down into James's smoldering, uplifted eyes.

Kyan watched as James's angry expression turned to one of absolute rage. He shook his head back and forth and muttered, "Oh, here it comes."

"Go ahead and try it! We'll see who ends up broken!" James yelled. He used all of his strength to give Taran a forceful push.

Taran stumbled backward and almost landed flat on his backside. He became very red in the face and his green eyes flashed dangerously before he charged at James. He grabbed James by the front of his shirt with one hand and raised his other hand-- which was balled into a fist-- to throw a punch.

James and Kyan were both poised to do the same when two shrill whistle blasts echoed off the gym's four walls. The three boys twitched and turned their eyes in the direction that the noise had come from.

Lucas and Nathan were marching unsmilingly in their direction.

"Is there a problem over here?" Nathan demanded.

Taran released James and lowered his fist, and James and Kyan followed suit. "No, sir," they mumbled, all speaking in unison.

"Then could we maybe get back to practice?" Lucas frowned, glancing at each of the chagrined boys in turn. He and Nathan resumed walking and blew their whistles again, ordering everyone to line up for sprints.

"You're lucky your daddy and your uncle showed up, freshman," Taran said under his breath, throwing an elbow into James's side. "You were three seconds away from getting your ass kicked."

James's cheeks flamed red as a fresh wave of fury surged through his body.

"Aw, James," Kyan growled the words through his teeth. He trapped his friend in a tight bear-hug and dragged him back when James made an attempt to run after Taran. "Come on, man, just let it go," he ordered in a harsh whisper. "What're you tryin' to do, get kicked out of your first practice? Don't think your dad won't do it, 'cause he will. Besides, you're makin' an idiot of yourself in front of your girl."

James turned his head and focused his eyes on the nearby cluster of cheerleaders. All of them were practicing a new cheer… except one.

Jennifer was trying her best to follow along with the rest of the squad, but her attempt was half-hearted. She was too busy watching James, her eyebrows drawn together with worry.

"All right, all right!" James scowled and furiously broke free from Kyan's restraining hold.

"Are you cool?" Kyan asked warily.

"Yeah," James nodded, still scowling.

"James! Kyan!" Nathan shouted, frowning impatiently. "What part of 'line up' did you not understand?!"

James and Kyan hurried to join their teammates, who laughed and jeered at them as they took their places.

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

"We survived, man," Kyan grinned. Practice had just come to an end and he and James were in the locker room, standing next to each other at their respective lockers. Loud conversation and raucous laughter from the other ball players filled the air around them.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," James said, seeming surprised as he fiddled with the lock on his locker. When he was finally able to get the locker open, his face dropped.

Kyan, who had gotten his locker open in the same instant, made a high, outraged, gasping noise in the back of his throat.

Someone had taken a Sharpie permanent marker and scrawled the words 'I suck' on the front and back of both of their shirts. Their regular shoes-- the shoes they wore outside of practice-- had also been covered in Sharpie marker graffiti.

"Oh," Kyan choked. "Oh, man." He knelt and carefully picked up his ruined shoes, cradling them against his chest. "My new Forces," he said mournfully, like he was grieving for a lost family member.

"Ky," James put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. Kyan was a proud sneaker freak; he absolutely loved his collection of name-brand shoes. It was easy to understand why this was such a tragedy to him.

And his sneakers weren't cheap, either. The ruined pair of Nike Air Force Ones he was holding now had been a nearly two-hundred-dollar birthday gift from his parents.

Kyan tossed his shoes aside and shoved up onto his feet. He spun to face the other Ravens who were crowded around, snickering and enjoying the show. He had no way of knowing who the Sharpie marker culprit was, but he didn't care. Someone… _anyone_… was going to pay for wrecking his sneakers. He threw himself at his nearest teammate, and James joined in.

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

Back in the coach's office, Nathan and Lucas were discussing the strengths and weaknesses they'd seen in the players during practice. They both turned toward the open office door when the loud, unruly sounds of a fight flooded in from the locker room.

"Oh, what now?" Lucas grumbled from between his teeth. He and Nathan sprinted out into the locker room and found that an absolute riot had broken out among the Ravens.

"**HEY!**" Lucas and Nathan bellowed as loudly as they could. "**HEY! BREAK IT UP!**" They waded into the chaotic crowd of teenage boys, pulling brawlers apart as they went.

Nathan cussed under his breath when he found James and Kyan rolling around on the floor with two guys twice their size. He stormed over and pulled the two older boys up by the backs of their shirts. He shoved them toward the exit with a curt order to leave. Then he focused worried blue eyes on the two fourteen-year-olds who were struggling to their feet.

"Are you guys all right?" he demanded, sounding sharper than he'd intended.

"We're fine," James scowled.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" Nathan barked at his son, unable to keep his anger in check. "Are you trying to get yourself benched?"

"No," James frowned angrily at his father.

"If you keep getting into fights like this, I won't have a choice, James!" Nathan shouted.

"_They_ started it, Dad!" James argued.

"I don't care!" Nathan exclaimed. "You're here to play basketball, all right? Like it or not, these guys are your teammates, and you're going to have to find a way to get along with them! Do you understand me?"

James stared up into his father's eyes for a long, silent moment. Then he blew out a disgusted breath, shook his head, and turned to leave; he didn't even care that he was still wearing his sweaty practice clothes.

"James!" Nathan shouted a warning after the teenager. "Get back here!"

"No!" James shouted back over his shoulder without breaking his stride.

"How do you expect to get home?" Nathan demanded, frowning.

"I'll walk!" James shouted again before he pushed a big swinging metal door open with a bang and exited the locker room.

Nathan blew out a frustrated breath and scrubbed his hands over his face. That kid was _so_ going to get it when they met up at home later.

"He'll be a'ight," Kyan spoke up. "'Sides, maybe walkin' will help him cool off."

"Maybe you're right, Ky," Nathan sighed.

Lucas approached them with a concerned look on his face. "Is James--?" he asked.

"He's fine. He's just blowing off steam," Nathan sighed again.

Lucas turned his attention to Kyan and asked, "Are you okay, Ky?"

"Yeah," Kyan nodded. "But my clothes and my new sneakers aren't."

"What do you mean?" Nathan and Lucas spoke in unison, their foreheads crinkling in the same expression of confusion.

Kyan held up his ruined shirt and shoes for his coaches to see. "The other guys have been hazin' us," he explained.

Nathan felt his mouth fall open. Of course! He should have known! He'd been the king of hazing when he'd played for the Ravens. He and his brother exchanged a quick glance.

Unfortunately, thanks to Lucas, the locker room was now empty, so any punishments would have to be dealt with at the next practice.

"Things are going to get better, Ky," Lucas promised. "Nathan and I will make sure of it."

"Good, 'cause I 'aint about to stand for things gettin' any worse. You know what I'm sayin'?" Kyan chuckled, throwing a playful elbow into Nathan's side.

"Yeah, I hear you," Nathan laughed, draping an affectionate arm over Kyan's shoulders. "So, do you need a ride, Ky?" Nathan asked.

"Naw," Kyan shook his head. "My Moms is off from work today. She's probably waitin' for me, so I'd better go. Later, Coaches!" Kyan waved as he sprinted out of the locker room.

"Bye, Ky!" Nathan and Lucas chuckled, waving back at him.

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

"Hi, Mama," Kyan smiled, plopping down in the front seat of his mother's burgundy-colored Hyundai Santa Fe. As always, the radio was tuned to his mother's favorite '80s station. The heat inside the car felt nice after several minutes of walking through the chill of the November afternoon.

"Hello, Baby," Abby Jenkins returned her son's smile and leaned over to kiss his cheek. Then she sat back, the bridge of her nose wrinkled in an expression of disgust. "Woo! Boy, you _stink!_"

"Thanks, Ma," Kyan frowned at her. "My day was great. How was yours?"

"I'm sorry, baby, but…" Abby sniffed the air again and repeated, "Woo! What happened, are the showers out of order or something?"

"Naw," Kyan mumbled, fiddling with the air vent that was built in to the dashboard.

"What happened, Kyan?" Abby was instantly serious. She could tell that her son was trying to keep something from her.

Kyan only scowled in response to his mother's question. He was now absorbed in picking invisible lint off of his basketball shorts.

"Boy," Abby said in her sternest Mom voice. She wanted an answer from him, and she wanted it immediately.

"It's… it's nothin', Mom." Kyan moved his shoulders, never looking over to meet her concerned eyes. "The other guys on the team… they've just been hazin' me and James."

"Hazing?" Abby echoed, sounding outraged and worried. "What did they do? Did they hurt you?"

"Naw," Kyan said slowly. Reluctantly, he reached into his gym bag and pulled out his ruined shirt and shoes.

Abby made a noise of anger in the back of her throat. "Your new Forces!" she groaned.

"I know," Kyan scowled again. "But the coaches, they said they'd take care of it. The only reason they're messin' with me and James is 'cause we're freshmen."

Abby looked pointedly into her son's big brown eyes. "Are you sure this is really what you want? You can quit if you want to, Ky."

"Nuh-uh," Kyan frowned, offended by his mother's suggestion. "I am not a quitter. I want to play. I'm good, and I 'aint about to let those other guys run me off. Neither is James. He and I are gonna stick together."

Abby pressed her lips together, like she was trying really hard to keep herself from talking Kyan out of staying on the team. She finally smiled and nodded her head. "Okay," she said quietly. "If that's your decision, I'll support you."

"Thank you," Kyan spoke earnestly, seeming surprised. Then his face lifted with one of his shining smiles and he said, "Love you, Mama."

"Love you, Baby," Abby murmured; her smile widened. She leaned forward to wrap her arms around her son, but then she caught a whiff of him and she sat back again. "Ooo," she shuddered with disgust. "Good Lord, Ky."

"_All right_! I smell bad, I got it!" Kyan exclaimed, slouching down in his seat and scowling.

"I still love you, though," Abby giggled, reaching out to pinch his cheek.

Kyan wasn't able to keep from grinning.

"Do you want me to stop at Karen's Café and pick up a couple of those giant chocolate-chip cookies you like?" Abby asked, peeking at her son out of the corner of her eye.

"And a cup of that hot chocolate she makes," Kyan sat up straight and smiled eagerly.

"That sounds good. I think I'll get some too," Abby smiled as well as she drove out of the high school's busy parking lot.

A new song started to play on the radio and Abby squealed excitedly.

"Ooo! This song takes me back!" She cranked the volume and sang along with the music as she cruised down the street.

_Your eyes tell me how you want me_

_I can feel it in your heartbeat_

_I know you like what you see_

_Hold me, I'll give you all that you see_

_Hold me, I'll give you all that you need_

_Wrap your love around me_

_You're so excited_

_I can feel you getting hotter_

_Oh baby, I'll take you down_

_I'll take you down_

_Where no one's ever gone before_

_And if you want more_

_If you want more, more, more_

_Just jump for my love_

_Jump in and feel my touch…_

_--Jump (For My Love) –The Pointer Sisters_

"Uggh," Kyan wrinkled his nose to show his disgust. "Ma, this song is nasty."

"No it's not," Abby replied, pretending that her feelings were hurt.

"Yeah it is," Kyan insisted. "Talkin' 'bout 'gettin' hotter' and 'takin' you down where no one's ever been before'. It's just… Uggh. You don't like me listenin' to hip-hop, but you can listen to this?"

"Excuse me," Abby said, speaking in her Mom Voice again. "Don't you question me. When you're grown and out on your own, you can listen to whatever kind of music you want. Right now, you're a fourteen-year-old kid who's living under my roof, and I don't want that hip-hop noise in my house. And there is no _way_ you can compare the Pointer Sisters to some of these rappers. The Pointer Sisters had class and…."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Just forget I said anything," Kyan interjected.

"Thank you, I will," Abby said, holding her head high. "This song brings back some wonderful memories for me," she continued with a faraway smile. "Your father and I were seniors in high school when this song was first released. It was playing on the radio the night he told me he loved me for the first time and gave me his class ring. I gave him a few things, too…" Abby revealed mischievously.

"Ma!" Kyan shouted, clapping his hands over his ears as his mother shook with hysterical laughter. "I'm gonna open this door and throw myself out into the street!"

"Oh, Ky," Abby huffed, waving her hand at him in a just-calm-down sort of way. She parallel-parked against the curb in front of Karen's Café and unbuckled her seatbelt. "You just wait here, all right? I'll leave the engine running, so the heat will be on. I'm not about to inflict you and your BO on a restaurant full of innocent people."

Kyan scowled again and turned his face away. He heard his mother laugh as she got out of the car and pushed her door shut.

When his mother disappeared into the restaurant, Kyan reached for the radio dial and tuned in to a hip-hop station.

When Abby finally arrived back at the car after twenty long minutes, Kyan was scowling again. He quickly changed the station back to her '80s music as she climbed back into the driver's seat.

"Dang, Ma," he complained, snatching the paper bag that held his cookies out of her hand when she held it out to him. "What took you so long?"

"There's a new waitress working here," Abby replied, putting the car in reverse. "She's so cute, and real sweet. She and her mom just moved into town-- they're living with her aunt. Her name's Michelle Harris and tomorrow's going to be her first day at the high school…." Abby's words trailed into silence and she sent her son a hinting glance.

Kyan blinked at her blankly while he worked on swallowing a big bite of his cookie. When what his mother was saying finally clicked into place in his head, he frowned at her, which looked hilarious because his cheeks were ballooned out due to the cookie he was chewing.

"Mom," he said once he finally managed to swallow, "I don't want you playin' matchmaker with me."

"Who said I was?" Abby asked; she made her lovely brown eyes wide and innocent.

"You don't have to say it. I know you are just by lookin' at you." Kyan eyed his mother with playful suspicion. "I don't need any help in the romance department, a'ight? Trust me."

"Ky, all I want you to do is be friendly to the poor girl. Do you think you can handle that?" Abby inquired.

Kyan took another bite and chewed thoughtfully for a long moment. "I guess," he replied grudgingly.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that, because she's coming over to our house tomorrow morning and you two are going to walk to school together.

"What?" Kyan shot straight up in his seat, and fixed horrified eyes on the profile of his mother's face.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

"Hey, Scott."

The scowl James wore became a smile when he heard Jennifer's voice. He turned his head and found her behind the wheel of her yellow Mustang, cruising along beside the stretch of sidewalk he was ambling across.

"Hey, Jagelski," he said, hitching the strap of his backpack higher onto his shoulder.

"Do you want a ride? Hop in. I'll drive you home." When Jennifer saw his hesitation, she broke into a charming and inviting grin; her blue eyes sparkled alluringly. "Come on," she encouraged him in an enticing tone, "you know you want to. I won't even tease you about that fight you almost got into during practice."

"Yes you will," James grinned back at her. At least she didn't know about the brawl that had occurred in the locker room.

"Well okay, yes I will, but not too bad," she promised with a laugh.

James chuckled quietly. He continued to stroll along the sidewalk, just watching her.

"James!" Jennifer exclaimed, only feigning exasperation. "Would you just get in the car already?"

James pretended to consider for one moment longer, then he caved. "All right, fine," he said. Jennifer pulled to a stop next the curb and James hastily tossed his backpack and his gym bag in the backseat before he climbed into the front passenger seat.

"Seatbelt," Jennifer reminded him in a cheery, sing-song voice as she pulled away from the curb.

"Don't I always put my seatbelt on? You don't have to _tell_ me to put my seatbelt on," James grumbled under his breath, frowning with irritation as he strapped himself in. She constantly treated him like a child, and it was really starting to annoy him.

"_Sorry_, jeez," Jennifer snickered. "Forgive me for wanting you to be safe."

James put his head back against the seat and was silent.

"So… practice was pretty… interesting," Jennifer sneaked a sideways glance at her friend.

"It's nothing I can't handle," James muttered, angrily staring out the windshield.

"Are you sure? I mean, I could talk to them for you. I know most of those guys, so--."

"No!" James shot up in his seat and turned wide eyes to Jennifer's face. "Are you insane? Having a girl fight my battles for me will only make things worse, so please, Jen, don't talk to them."

"Fine," Jennifer mumbled, somewhat miffed. "I was only trying to help. I hate seeing them be so mean to you."

"I'll be okay," James shrugged. "They're just trying to intimidate me so I'll quit the team, but it won't work. I want to play basketball, that's all I care about. So they can do their worst, because I'm not going anywhere."

"Good for you," Jennifer smiled at him proudly. "You know what else? They're threatened by you. They are," she insisted when James snorted on a laugh. "You're really good, James. And they're afraid of that. You've got more talent than any of them had at fourteen. Heck, you've got more talent than most of them have now."

"Thanks, Jen," James grinned at her. The way he said the words let her know that he was grateful for more than just the praise; he was thankful for her and her friendship.

"For what? It's the truth," Jennifer shrugged.

"Well, even if it is the truth, it's nice to hear." James chuckled when Jennifer reached over and gave his arm a playful smack.

"I'll stop giving you compliments if you get full of yourself," she warned. "Oh, and by the way, could you maybe crack a window? You seriously reek."

"Jennifer!" James whipped his head around and scowled at her, but his eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Well you do!" Jennifer laughed. "Why didn't you shower after practice?"

Anger flashed in James's big brown eyes again, and his jaw clenched.

"What?" Jennifer asked anxiously. "Did something else happen? What happened, James?"

"Jen, it's nothing," he snapped.

"No," Jennifer disagreed, "it's definitely something. A big something. What happened, James?" she repeated, growing more worried. "Are you hurt?"

"Ohmigosh!" James groaned, dragging his hands over his face. "No, I'm not hurt, all right? The other guys have started hazing me and Ky. It's not a big deal," he said quickly when he saw Jennifer's mouth drop in an expression of horrified rage. "They're just trying to mess with us."

"That's it," Jennifer said, looking very determined. "I'm talking to them."

"No!" James groaned, begging. "Jen, come on, please don't."

"James," Jennifer frowned at him, looking apprehensive. "What if the hazing gets worse? What if--?"

"Haven't we already established that I can take care of myself?" James questioned, comically quirking his left eyebrow.

Jennifer tried not to laugh, but he looked so funny that she ended up not being able to help herself. "I know," she sighed when she was able to stop laughing. "I just worry about you, Baby James." She stretched out her right arm and smoothed a strand of sweat-slicked brown hair away from his forehead.

James subtly moved his head back, away from her touch, resting it against the back of his seat again. His chest burned with the familiar sting of hearing her address him by his childhood nickname.

"What's wrong?" Jennifer was genuinely confused. She was oblivious to the fact that James was more in love with her now than he had ever been. She was under the impression that he understood that they would never be anything more than close friends.

"Nothing," James mumbled dejectedly, reaching up run an agitated hand through his disheveled hair. "I'm just getting tired, I guess," he lied. "And, 'ya know, you don't need to worry about me so much," he added, almost snapping at her now. "My mom does fine with that all by herself."

"Sheesh," Jennifer muttered under her breath. "You _must_ be getting tired, Captain Cranky Pants."

"What did you call me?" James whipped his head in her direction, his face scrunching up indignantly.

"You heard what I said, Captain Cranky Pants," Jennifer giggled musically.

James made an aggravated noise in the back of his throat and began to scowl again. "Why can't you ever just call me 'James'?" he asked. The question was a bit on the hostile side. "That _is_ my name, 'ya know," he reminded her sardonically. "J-A-M-E-S. James."

"Calm down," Jennifer sent an annoyed glance in his direction. Since practice had been so rough for him, she'd decided to try and joke around with him, and get him in a better mood, but that clearly wasn't working at the moment. Usually, when she teased him, he'd laugh and play along, but not today. Now she thought she should probably try a different tactic. "I was just kidding with you, James," she said in a softer, gentler tone of voice. "I'm sorry, okay? I know you've had a lousy day. I shouldn't have teased you. Forgive me?" She batted her long eyelashes and poked her bottom lip out in a sweet and funny pout.

James blinked, stunned into speechlessness by her utter loveliness. There were times when he could swear that she was an angel.

When he'd recovered, he moved his bony shoulders in an easy, casual shrug. "Don't I always?" he asked, grinning crookedly when she laughed. "And I'm sorry, too. I mean, 'ya know, for being such a… Captain Cranky Pants." His eyebrows furrowed at how stupid the nickname sounded as it came out of his own mouth, and he couldn't keep from chuckling.

"That's okay," Jennifer laughed again. "I'm willing to let it slide, but just this once." There was a brief stretch of comfortable, friendly silence. Then Jennifer asked, "So do you want some music? Maybe that'll help to mellow you out." She reached for the dial on her vintage radio.

James pushed her hand away from the dial so he could search through the different stations himself. When he found a song he wanted to listen to, he assumed a relaxed, slouched position in his seat.

"Mmm," Jennifer purred with satisfaction at his choice in music. "Eric Clapton," she grinned, moving her head to the beat as she made a reckless right turn; she sort of tended to be a crazy driver. "I love this song…."

James didn't straighten out of his slouched position. He just watched Jennifer with his big brown puppy-dog eyes. _I love _you_, and it's making me crazy, _he thought miserably, crinkling his forehead as she drummed a rhythm against the steering wheel with her fingers and quietly sang along with the song. His heart felt like it would explode into a million tiny pieces, but he resisted the urge to clutch at his burning chest.

_If I could reach the stars, pull one down for you_

_Shine it on my heart, so you could see the truth_

_That this love I have inside is everything it seems_

_But for now I find it's only in my dreams_

_That I can change the world_

_I would be the sunlight in your universe_

_You would think my love was really something good_

_Baby if I could change the world…_

_-Change the World –Eric Clapton_

Being her friend while he secretly longed to be more wasn't easy to do, and it only seemed to get harder as they grew older, but James was slowly getting the hang of it. He had almost mastered the art of keeping his true feelings hidden. It was only rarely now that he would slip up and almost give himself away. He had a good thing with Jennifer, and he knew it. He valued her friendship more than almost any other relationship in his life, even his friendship with Kyan, so he really didn't want to do anything to ruin the closeness that he shared with her. She meant almost everything to him, and he couldn't even try to imagine his life without her in it, so he'd decided a long time ago that he would try his best to do things her way. But lately, doing things her way was getting to be almost unbearable for him. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep his feelings for her a secret.

The best and worst thing about the whole situation was that Jennifer seemed to be totally oblivious to the agony he was in. It meant that he was doing his job and doing it well, and that was good; but it also meant that he would have to suffer in silence because she didn't suspect a thing, and that was bad… but good at the same time….

_Aaaarrrggghhhh!!_ A scream of absolute frustration echoed through James's mind, but outwardly, he appeared to be completely at ease.

"Come on, Scott!" Jennifer laughed, giving James a good-natured shove. "You're the one with the incredible voice! Sing with me!"

James expelled a quiet sigh and forced himself to sit up straight. He didn't think his voice was anything special, but that was only because he was so humble. Music was in his blood, and when he sang, the sound was heavenly. When the chorus came around a second time, he sang along with Jennifer and the radio, but the effort was only half-hearted.

_If I could change the world_

_I would be the sunlight in your universe_

_You would think my love was really something good_

_Baby if I could change the world…_

_I wish I could change the world, _James thought wistfully. _Maybe then she'd finally love me._

OTHOTHOTHOTH

"Nathan? James?" Haley called from the kitchen when she heard the front door open and close.

"Just Nathan," her husband sighed tiredly as he plodded into the kitchen.

"Hi, Dad!" Brenna, who was seated at the kitchen table with her homework spread out around her, instantly brightened when her father came into the room.

"Hey, Pistol," Nathan smiled affectionately and bent to press a kiss against the top of her head. "How was school?"

Brenna pulled an absolutely hideous face to let her dad know that school had been horrendous.

Nathan chuckled at his daughter's expression and gently smoothed her long, windswept raven-colored hair. "Yeah, I know the feeling," he said.

While James had inherited Haley's brains and love of learning, Brenna had inherited the exact _opposite_ from her father. Everything seemed to come easy to James, who had gotten straight A's since elementary school. Brenna, on the other hand, struggled to earn the C's that marked every report card she came home with. She was too spirited for bookwork; it bored her. Basketball was the only thing she was truly passionate about.

"How's your homework coming?" Haley asked, coming over to stand next to her husband. "Do you need help?"

"No." Brenna bent her head over her math worksheet again, trying to disguise how frustrated she was with the concept of long division.

"Are you sure?" Haley gently prodded. "I'd be more than happy to help you sweetheart. All you have to do is ask."

Brenna lifted her head again and an angry pout was puckering her pretty pink mouth. "James never has to ask for help," she grumbled. Her blue eyes flamed when she reminded her parents of her big brother's brilliance.

"There's no shame in asking for help if you need it, Bren," Nathan said softly, reaching out to touch her hair again. "If I hadn't asked for help when I needed it I never would have met your mom." He snaked his arm around Haley's waist and affectionately kissed her cheek, which made her smile.

"I know, Dad," Brenna rolled her eyes. She'd heard the story of her parents' fateful meeting in the high school's tutoring center about a thousand times already.

"And besides, you shouldn't compare yourself to your brother. You're both very special in lots of different and wonderful ways," Haley declared, ever the proud mother.

Brenna forced a smile and said, "Yeah, I guess. Thanks, Mom." She knew she was loved, and she knew she had talents, but James had more talents. Lots more. He was good at everything. The only thing Brenna knew she excelled at was basketball, and James was even better than her at _that!_ She loved her brother dearly, but it was really hard to live in his shadow.

Brenna focused on her homework again, hoping her parents would just leave her alone. Thankfully, they did.

"So where's James?" Haley asked, accepting a peck on the lips from her husband.

"He decided he wanted to walk home from practice," Nathan revealed hesitantly. He watched as Haley's expression became panicked.

"And you _let_ him?" she demanded.

Brenna looked up again, distracted by and interested in her parents' argument.

"It's not that far," Nathan tried to defend himself. "Besides, it's a nice day."

"It's cold and blustery and our fourteen-year-old son is wandering the streets alone!" Haley shouted.

"Well, look, we kind of had a disagreement after practice today. He was mad and he didn't want to ride with me, so I let him walk. I thought it might help him cool off," Nathan hastily explained.

"What disagreement? What're you talking about?" Haley dragged her hands through her hair, still looking a bit fearful.

"Some of the other guys on the team started hazing him and Ky today. There was a fight and--."

The panic returned to Haley's face; her eyes widened and filled with horror. "You let him walk home alone after he got into a fight with a bunch of guys who are twice his size?" All she could think about was when Nathan kidnapped Lucas and shoved him into a pool of mud as part of a hazing ritual back when they were in high school. Horrible images of her Sweet Baby James tied up and abandoned somewhere out in the middle of nowhere flashed through her mind. She spun around in one quick movement and ran for the phone. Nathan was right behind her. She dialed James's cell phone with shaking fingers and waited anxiously for him to pick up, praying that he would.

"Hi, Mom."

"Oh," Haley let out a strangled sob when she heard her son's voice and put the hand that wasn't clutching the phone over her racing heart. "Oh, James! Where are you?" she demanded.

"In Jen's car," James replied, seeming confused about why his mother sounded so upset. "She's giving me a ride."

"Are you all right?" Haley felt shaky, so she leaned against the edge of the counter.

"Yeah," James said slowly, confused even more by his mother's question. "Why?"

"I just--. Your dad told me about practice and I…."

"Went into over-protective-mom-mode and started jumping to all kinds of crazy conclusions like I was unconscious in a ditch somewhere?" James cheerfully supplied an ending to his mother's sentence.

"I'm glad you find this so funny," Haley frowned, "because I can assure you, James Lucas Scott, that I am not amused."

It was quiet on James's end of the line for a long moment and then he quietly mumbled, "Sorry, Mom."

"We'll talk about this more later," Haley sighed, rubbing her free hand over her clammy face. "Just come home."

"Okay," James mumbled again, obediently this time. "Bye, Mom. I love you."

"I love you, too," Haley said quietly. "Bye, sweetheart." She clicked the end button on the black cordless phone and dropped it onto the countertop. Then she turned and looked into Nathan's apologetic blue eyes. She wiggled her finger, signaling him to follow her. As they passed by the kitchen table, she noticed Brenna watching them and she commanded, in her no-nonsense tone of voice, "Get back to work."

Brenna immediately returned her attention to her worksheet.

"I'm… Listen, I'm really sorry, okay?" Nathan pleaded as he followed Haley into their second-floor bedroom.

Haley whirled on him as soon as the door was shut.

"I never liked the idea of letting him play on the varsity team as a freshman!" she shouted tearfully. "Those older boys obviously have it out for him! What if the hazing gets worse--?"

"It won't, all right?" Nathan put his hands on her shoulders and spoke to her gently, trying to soothe her. "Lucas and I will make sure of that."

"I want him off the team," Haley sniffled.

"Haley--." Nathan's tone of voice made it clear that he thought she was overreacting.

"I want him off the team!" Haley repeated obstinately. "He could get hurt, Nathan!"

"Come here," Nathan murmured, pulling his reluctant wife into his muscular arms. "Hey, hey," he whispered when he felt her start to shake. "Would you please listen to me for just a second?" he requested, rubbing his hands over her shuddering back and speaking quietly into her ear. "You had a scare, and now you're upset. Try and calm down. I understand that you're concerned, okay? But James wants to play, Hales. He's good, he's really good; he's so far above any of the other kids his age. He _belongs_ on the varsity team, Haley. And I promise you that you don't need to worry about him. Lucas and I will always be around to keep him safe, all right?"

Haley pulled back and looked up at Nathan with bleary brown eyes. After a long moment of pensive staring, she finally offered him a small nod.

Nathan smiled and took her tearstained face between his giant hands. He bowed his head and placed a light kiss against her forehead. He knew how hard it had been for her to agree to this, and the fact that she had proved how much she trusted him.

He wouldn't let her down.

"It'll be okay, Haley," he whispered, keeping his lips against her soft, smooth brow. "I promise."

She sniffled again and put her arms around him, hugging him tight.

Downstairs the front door opened and shut loudly.

"I'm home!" James hollered.

Wiping at her wet eyes and continuing to sniffle, Haley turned to open the bedroom door.

"Wait, wait," Nathan said, catching her outstretched hand and tangling his fingers through hers. "Could I talk to him first?"

Haley flashed a small but achingly sweet smile and nodded her consent. She and Nathan shared a brief kiss before he slid past her and exited the bedroom.

James was just coming up the stairs and he and Nathan met face-to-face in the middle of the second-story hallway.

"Hey," Nathan said evenly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hi," James replied, looking at his father with wide brown eyes. He silently wondered how much trouble he was in.

"Do you have a minute? I want to talk to you." Nathan gestured toward his son's partially-open bedroom door.

"Okay," James said, trying his best to hide how nervous he was. He followed his father into his immaculate bedroom-- James was a complete neat-freak, which was another perfectionist quality he'd inherited from his mother-- and took a seat at his desk.

Nathan sank down at the foot of James's neatly-made bed with a heavy sigh and began to rub his hands together. "So…" he said, providing an eloquent opening to their conversation.

"So…?" James repeated, bowing his head and waiting for the punishment he was sure would soon be coming.

"Why didn't you tell me about the hazing today, James?" Nathan focused patient, compassionate blue eyes on his young son.

"I dunno," James mumbled, shrugging his shoulders. "I was mad at you."

"I guess you had a right to feel that way," Nathan nodded. "And I understand that you were upset about the hazing, but, James, you don't have to give someone a fight just because they're looking for one. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," James mumbled again, nodding his head.

"And, 'ya know, this might sound like something out of a cheesy family sitcom, but you're a lot better than that, James. You really are. You know that."

"Yes, sir," James repeated. His bowed head bobbed with another slight nod.

"If you really want to put those other guys in their place, all you have to do is play ball. Once the team sees you in action, they'll be kneeling down to kiss your feet." Nathan chuckled when James snorted with laughter. "So no more fights, right? If there's a problem, you can come to me or Uncle Luke. Do we understand each other?"

"No more fights," James agreed.

"Good," Nathan nodded again. "Then there's just one more thing… I don't care how mad you are at me; from now on you will not be allowed to walk home from practice. Your mom was really worried this afternoon. I mean, jeez, James, you could have at least called or something. You know how she gets."

"I know," James frowned, obviously ashamed of himself for needlessly upsetting his mother. "I'm really sorry about that."

"It was both of us," Nathan sighed, getting to his feet. "We both should have handled things differently." He moved to where his son sat in front of his desk and bent to kiss the top of his head. "I love you," he said, rumpling James's thick dark hair.

"Love you, Dad," James grinned.

"You really stink, dude, so go take a shower and then hit the books," Nathan instructed as he pulled the door open.

"Yes, sir," James chuckled.

OTHOTHOTHOTH

"Hi, Baby." Haley was curled up on the living room couch reading a book about an hour and a half later, but she looked up with a smile when James came down the stairs. His hair was damp and tousled, like he'd towel-dried it, and he was wearing a pair of long blue-and-white plaid pajama pants and a Tree Hill Ravens T-shirt.

James came over and curled up next to her when she opened her arms and waved him toward her with her hands. He nestled his cheek against her chest and let her cuddle him. He could hear his dad and his sister playing basketball out front.

"I'm sorry I scared you today, Mom," he murmured in a quiet, tired voice.

Haley kissed the top of his head and said, "Well, I might have overreacted, but only slightly. The fact that you're going to be playing such a physical sport with boys who are so much bigger than you really makes me nervous. I don't care if you're in high school, you're still my baby," she cooed, kissing his hair again.

James grinned and tried to keep from rolling his eyes. His mom was such a worrier; he'd be living in a big plastic bubble if she could have her way. He decided that a change of subject would be best so he said, "I've still got to practice my piano."

When Haley learned that James was going to be joining the Ravens, she had only two conditions. One was that James had to keep his grades up. The other was that he would not neglect his music.

"Your homework's all done?" Haley knew the answer, but she had to check anyway.

"Yep," James nodded.

"You're so smart," Haley beamed proudly. "All right," she said excitedly, sitting up straight on the edge of the couch cushions, "play." She loved to listen to James play the piano. He made the music come to life and touched the souls of anyone who listened.

James grinned crookedly, feeling a little embarrassed by his mother's enthusiasm as he took a seat on the creaky bench that sat in front of the family's secondhand piano. He went through his usual warm-up exercises. Then he surprised Haley by playing a very familiar melody. When his pure, soulful voice began to softly sing the lyrics that went along with that melody, she joined in; their voices blended together in quiet, beautiful harmony.

…_Goodnight you moonlight ladies_

_Rock-a-bye Sweet Baby James_

_Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose_

_Won't you let me go down in my dreams_

_And rock-a-bye Sweet Baby James…_

_--Sweet Baby James –James Taylor_

**Hi everybody! I hope my lack of updates hasn't made you forget about me. I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. My computer has had some major issues (it hates me, I swear), but it's working just fine now, so updates will be much more frequent.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed for the previous chapters. I was absolutely thrilled to hear from you! And thank you to whoever nominated my story for the fan fic award! That was such an unexpected and wonderful surprise! I'm so grateful to everyone for their support and enthusiasm. All of you are what makes this fan fiction thing so much fun, so thank you again and again and again.**

**Okay, so… the chapter. I know in the previous chapter I said that Jeyton's family was going to get some bad news and that Brucas was going to have a medical scare with the twins, but I decided that this chapter needed to kind of be a filler chapter and focus on James and Ky's first practice. The basketball stuff will be pretty prevalent in James's storyline, but only for a little while (other, much bigger things are coming his way).**

**In the next chapter, Kyan will meet Michelle (I'm excited about that!), but their romance won't come until later (you'll see what I mean). Also, James and Ky will play in their first game. The Boy Toy Auction will come shortly after that (can anybody guess who's going to bid on James and Ky? Hehe…)**

**Brooke and Lucas will have the scare with one of the twins in the next chapter also, and Jake and Peyton will receive their bad news as well. I know that sounds sad and dark, but it's necessary. It'll bring James and Jennifer closer together…. Just trust me. You'll like the way everything ties together. At least, I hope you will….**

**There will be a fistfight between James and one of the other players at lunch not long after the Boy Toy Auction, which will result in consequences for James. But his punishment will lead him to find his true passion (I'm so excited for that, too! I really think you guys will enjoy where James ends up!)**

**So, I hope everybody enjoyed the chapter. I felt like it was long, but I kind of like how it turned out. Please feel free to let me know what you thought. I'm open to anything. If you have suggestions, or if there's something you want to see happen, please don't hesitate to tell me about it. Thank you again so much! –Sarah PS—I'm working on the next chapter right now and I promise it will be up within a few days-- yes, days-- so keep an eye out for it. Okay, bye!**


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